media initiatives

Lavigne, Crystal

Brad Clark, Fred Eisenberger and Brian McHattie are showing all Hamiltonians why they need to vote against them in this upcoming election and showing each and every one of us why a fresh, brand new face is needed to take over the leadership at City Hall.

Dirty campaigning is just that- dirty! At a time when leadership is critical in Hamilton, we are seeing three of Hamilton’s mayoral hopefuls show us that they have nothing more to offer us than their excess baggage that they already carry, or have previously carried at City Hall.

Can we truly trust anyone to be our leader who likes to play dirty? All three of them are culprits!

Hamilton is in a crisis situation and we have the choice of staying stagnant (voting in one of the above three) or moving forward.

To move forward, we need leadership that is not afraid to take a sharp, stark contrast to the rest of them.

I’ve said no to the LRT from day one. The debate is over. Let’s increase our bus service, get it working in all corners of our city and immediately alleviate our most urgent public transportation woes. Install gondola’s for fast, efficient north/south transportation in the central/east area. This will also prove to be a powerful way to exploit our beautifully landscaped city which will only double over as a tourist attraction. The money for this would come out of the provincial money proposed for
an LRT. We must also look at exploring the possibility of expanding the lanes of the Red Hill Valley Parkway and Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway , and alleviating the congestion of the #403 running through the West end of Hamilton.

Increase our police presence. In some areas of our city, you are hard-pressed to find a uniformed officer and/or marked vehicle. This is appalling at best. It is a proven fact that neighbourhood’s are safer when visible police are present and traffic is “calmer” when marked vehicles are widely used.

Abolish so many red-light cameras. Please read above regarding traffic safety. There is a reason why many other cities are removing red-light cameras from off of their streets! As a city, if we truly cared about safety, our police visibility would be increased, not cameras.

Work towards poverty reduction in Hamilton, keeping in mind that poverty on “paper” and poverty in reality can be a very different perspective (yes, you can make $60,000+ and still be living in poverty!).

Abolish food banks as we know them. People deserve the dignity of buying/shopping for the food they eat and like, unbeknownst to the people surrounding them that their re-loadable grocery card (kind of like a debit card, but can only be used in grocery stores) came from the generous donations that are usually given to the food bank. Instead of food donations, however, donations will become monetary.

Initiate a “working welfare” program. When we work for our money, no matter who our employer may be, it makes us feel better about ourselves and gives the drive to become better. Alternately, when we see our tax dollars that go to help those on social assistance be put to work in our communities, we don’t show such negative feelings to those that are in a time of need that need to rely on their community for temporary support. This goes to strengthen our community as a whole.

Create jobs of the future in Hamilton. Flexible employment at full and part time hours and rates is what the younger generation is asking for, and if we want to grow as a city, we need to keep and attract this generation of workers. Pander to the businesses that can accommodate this to attract them in to our city. To the employer’s in our city currently that can adopt this model, we need to give them incentive to do this now as well.

Take our brownfield’s (as we cannot sell them!), and give them away for free. Owner’s still need to pay taxes to the city, but generally, brownfield’s are what attracts manufacturing companies and manufacturing creates work. Manufacturing, creates the long-term, sustained employment that keeps our economy going and growing in Hamilton.

Address all the wasteful, non-needed spending at City Hall and start addressing our needs as a city first and foremost before our wants.

Our needs are as follows, but are in no way in any particular order:

Aging infrastructure/road repairs/maintenance

Transportation

Poverty reduction

Neighbourhood safety

Job creation

Beautify Hamilton (a.k.a garbage problems)

In a time when the world is in such distress, we need fresh leadership that is not worried about `playing` politics, or bickering about the past. I`m asking all Hamiltonians, to come together as one, and work on strengthening our communities, strengthening our image, and strengthening ourselves. We can do this Hamilton, and we can do this together! October 27th, you have a choice. I`m asking you to make me, Crystal Lavigne, your choice.

2 comments to Lavigne, Crystal

1 Mid-Peninsular Highway to link 407 with 403 south of city. Also what do you define as urban sprawl?

I’d like to help your campaign and am willing to have your sign on my lawn. My address is 652 Tomahawk Crescent Ancaster. Or if you prefer I can pick one up this Thursday.

I’ve only been an Ancaster resident since Apr 2010 so am still learning about the local political scene.

My wife and I relocated from Toronto to Naples in SW Florida in 1992 where we operated a Nature Tour business. I also got very involved with the Collier County Audubon Society, Florida Wildlife Federation and the National Democratic Party in trying to stem urban sprawl with some success. Our main achievement was to convince then Governor Jeb Bush in 2000 to put a moratorium on urban sprawl in Collier County and to have a broad-based review board that would include ordinary citizens. I have lots more biography to share, should you decide I can help you either now and/or in the future.

Thank you very much for your support, it is well appreciated! I regret to inform you that I do not have any available signs, however, I can e-mail you a copy that you can print and use at your leisure (i.e. window, car, etc.).

I truly dislike urban sprawl and as much as I realize I can not stop it entirely, I do not like the pace on which it is happening and will continue to happen not only in Hamilton but our surrounding areas now and in the future! I would really like to chat with you further. Perhaps, you can send me an e-mail? It is crystalx4@hotmail.ca.